Going the (Social) Distance: Cross Country Road Trip During the COVID-19 Pandemic (part 1)

Here's my idea of social distancing!

So we're nearly at the end of our Laguna Beach sabbatical, due to head East this Sunday morning into a six-day journey into the unknown.

Will there be difficulties finding hotels? Will restaurants be open, or offering only take out? What in the way of car munchies should I take, just in case? What about wine? (Kidding. You know we're packing wine.)

Two weeks ago I planned to leave my overstock of toilet paper with my neighbors but now, in light of the Great TP Panic, we'll find somewhere in the Subaru to cram in our packages of the Great White Blessing. Because, really...road trips. Truck stops. Nationwide paranoia. I picture needing to use the loo somewhere off a highway gas station where TP is just a memory. I haven't packed in my own TP since I was a Girl Scout on a survivalist outing. (Come to think of it, I don't think I fared very well then either.)

I'm an avowed control freak, and so this pandemic, where news changes hourly, is freaking me out. I. Can't. Control. This! And therefore I am losing sleep about it. 

What we're heading into is some form of chaos, the likes of which we can't anticipate. Signs around here discourage the use of cash. (CASH!!!) The produce aisle in our local supermarket was stripped bare, as was bread, water, toilet paper. I didn't check the meat or frozen foods aisles because I can't use that now, but we did score one of the last cartons of eggs to hard boil for the journey ahead.

We're traveling with nitrate gloves, Clorox wipes, and masks.

And all the optimism I can muster.

And today it occurred to me: As a control freak, the good news is that I can CHOOSE to control how I deal with this. Restaurants may not be open, but grocery stores will. There is always peanut butter and crackers. And wine. And trail mix.

And confidence. And hope.

Four days before we leave...

Comments

  1. Kimberly Burton AllenMarch 27, 2020 at 6:51 PM

    Yes! It must feel like deja vu to you...

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownJanuary 22, 2022 at 2:52 AM

    Great post! I am actually getting ready to across this information, is very helpful my friend. Also great blog here with all of the valuable information you have. Keep up the good work you are doing here. Cross Country Movers

    ReplyDelete

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